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BobMalugaLuga
Reviews
The Man in the High Castle (2015)
Disappointed In the Perversion of a Great Novel (Revised)
++Amended++
NOTE: Spoilers
I decided to amend my review after finding out that Amazon intends to add one (at least) more season. The serialization might help to explain some of the glaring omissions and deviations in the first Amazon series. Even Dick had indicated that he wanted to write a sequel, so I guess Amazon has taken it on themselves to do just that. All I can say is good luck with that, Amazon. You're taking on one of the most masterful and subtle writers of science fiction ever. I guess what really bothers me and why I feel compelled to stand behind my original low rating of the show, follow on series or not, is the manner in which the original material was changed and ultimately corrupted. Amazon basically rewrote the original story with substantial plot and thematic departures from Dick's material. Why? The Man in The High Castle is a substantial piece of literature, not just "pulp scientific fiction" as some have characterized it. In particular, the rich and meaningful subtext of the book has all but been eliminated (so far) in Amazon's adaptation.
Those who have read the book are probably as puzzled as I about the many significant departures from the original story. Even the somewhat central character of Hawthorne Abendsen, and his book within a book were completely omitted, replaced by the use of newsreel-like found footage. OK, on the surface, the use of newsreel footage seems clever. It adds a feeling of authenticity to the alternative time-line. Unfortunately, I think the screenwriters missed a big point. The alternative time-line in the book, which is not fleshed out at all in the show, is NOT the time-line we actually know. In Abendsen's book, things turn out quite differently and Great Britain ends up becoming the world's superpower after a conflict with the US. So we end up with THREE time-lines: The Axis victory time-line, the Great Britian time-line, and the time-line we all know. This was a device on Dick's part that ties into a central theme of the book: What is the true nature of reality? All of the time-lines, including the one the characters live in, therefore begin to take on an abstract aura. Dick reinforces this with the prominent use of the I Ching by multiple characters. In the show, the use of the I Ching is largely marginalized and used by only one character.
What's more, the actual man in the high castle is not Hitler, as the show suggests, but Abendsen. Granted, Hitler is merely shown as a collector of the films, and perhaps the intent is to introduce Abendsen in the second series. We'll see. By pointing to Hitler as the man in the high castle, however, the show has already undermined Abdensen's importance to the story. Furthermore, all of this monkey business with the plot makes the ending of the Amazon series seem incomprehensible. Unless, of course, you had read the book, in which case you will probably be too upset at that point to care.
I guess the real kicker in my disappointment is the insertion of new subtext into the story. It takes a few episodes to sink in, but it becomes fairly obvious that instead of sinking their teeth into Dick's original thematic material about the nature of reality, the show writers decided they would use the story to point out the Neo Nazi qualities of American society. Really? Yuck! Not here. Not in this story!
All I can say is that I am now as disappointed in this series as I was originally enthused because of my admiration of Philip K Dick. Instead of taking the heart and soul of Dick's awesome book and running with it, Amazon simply used the altered story to preach a new gospel. In the process, they abandoned the most important qualities of the book. Hey look, Amazon is entitled to make any kind of movie with any kind of theme they want. This particular series, however, should never have been billed as an adaptation of Dick's The Man in the High Tower. If this is the way they wanted to go, the show should have been re- titled, but it's obvious that Amazon was playing off the reputation and loyal following of Philip K. Dicks to draw fans like me into their sermon. Although not nearly as ham-handed as the global-warming- themed remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," make no mistake about it, this was purpose piece. Because of that, it has lost most of the appeal of the Philip K. Dick story. I have to give credit to the writers for being subtle and crafty, unlike the bone- saw and ball-peen hammer wielding writers of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" remake, but I resent the perversion of the original Dick story. This shows great disrespect for Dick and his many fans, and makes the telling of the story a far less significant event.
The bottom line is that if you have never read the book, the excellent production values, acting, and writing will probably win you over. If you have read the book, on the other hand, you will undoubtedly be as puzzled and disappointed as I am. They have simply dropped the ball on some of Dick's most profound subtext and instead inserted their own subtext on the Neo-Nazi nature of American society. Shame on you. Just write your own book if this is the propaganda you want to spew and respect the politically-inert mysticism and depth of a great author like Dick. I think he would be ashamed to see his work so perverted.
Battle Planet (2008)
Biggum Crappum Stinkum
Not that Bad!?!? Kudos!!???!!!! You've got to be kidding. A melting candle would be more interesting to watch. I mean, I'm enough of a junkie that I will will tolerate just about any sci-fi, but there's some things even a rat won't do! To quote from Hollywood Shuffle: "The acting, the directing, the storyline ... that mother was bad!"
And what's up with the "Brea Grant is recognizable as the alien" comment. She didn't play an alien, dude. She had all of one scene at the beginning of the film and she looked almost exactly the same as she does on Heroes, complete with the Woody Woodpecker hairdo. Nice payday if you can get it. And gee, I sure hope that's not considered a spoiler because I would just HATE to spoil this for anyone.
You want to see better sci-fi? Here's a suggestion. Save your next two cocktail umbrellas, glue them to the back of a couple of cockroaches, film it, and call it a dinosaur movie. It will be a far better entertainment than this stinker. Oh, and title it "Time Wars" because that will have about as much to do with it as "Battle Planet" had to do with this sorry excuse for a movie.